Guess what though, JRPGs don't sell well. Persona 3 we only got like 8 copies of and 4 of them were preordered. We've only sold ONE of the extra copies so far.
Maybe if EB/Gamestop marketed them as agressively as they do halo three and actually ask if they want to pre-order "insert JRPG here" in every game purchase like they did/do like, oh I don't know Bioshock, Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4 then maybe it will sell well enough.
First off, probably not. Not everyone is a cosplaying larper with a furry tattoo.
Secondly, it's not GS's place to market the games; it's the publishers. Gamestop gets behind the games that you mentioned because they are ALREADY guaranteed to sell. It would be stupid not to maximize profit in an area where revenue is already guaranteed.
Guess what though, JRPGs don't sell well. Persona 3 we only got like 8 copies of and 4 of them were preordered. We've only sold ONE of the extra copies so far.
Maybe if EB/Gamestop marketed them as agressively as they do halo three and actually ask if they want to pre-order "insert JRPG here" in every game purchase like they did/do like, oh I don't know Bioshock, Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4 then maybe it will sell well enough.
Gamestop purposefully only gets enough games to fill pre-orders that way they can lock you into their retarded pre-order system where they take $5 from thousands of people and put that money into high-interest accounts to get a little bonus profit.
Do you know how crazy you sound?
Honestly, that would be an absolutely horrible business model.
The REAL reason is to rope you into paying full price instead of shopping the lowest competitor at launch AND to enforce their preorder business model. They want to enforce it for the reasons already mentioned (used game market, no $5 games clearances like the electronics stores, etc).
About 99% of the time, no one runs sales on new released games. The most recent one I can remember is Best Buy's Guitar Hero 80's edition. And the one before that? Circuit City had Madden 07(last year's madden) on sale the day it came out. Wow, two... in a year.
There was a game clearance this past summer. I will say that I thought the prices were still a little high. But it was a clearence. And used games are where they make a profit. Is that a bad thing?
These threads are always amusing, because they always fill up with people saying "duh, they're a business, they're out to make money!" No shit. We all know that EBStop is out to make money. That doesn't mean that people won't get angry at the way they choose to make money.
When someone expresses frustration about the preorder system, or the horrible used prices, or gutting, or whatever, telling them that it's part of the business model is neither comforting nor illuminating. The complacency that sets in when people set out to defend gamestop is astounding.
How you can so fantastically miss the point is beyond me.
I'm not suggesting they should sell off preordered games to walk-ins.
I'm suggesting that if you have 25 preorders, maybe you should order a number somewhat above 25, you fucks
Now, as I said before, I realize there are certain mitigating circumstances: There might not be enough units out there, or maybe GameStop doesn't want to distribute 100 copies to one store if it means only shipping 10 to another. But I kinda doubt that's the case with Bioshock.
Getting rid of overstock sucks; you say they should go above the pre-orders and they do, but always by a safe amount they can be absolutely certain will sell. Sometimes they won't make as much money as they could; that's still not nearly as bad as spending money on something that's going to take up valuable space or having to ship it. I'm sorry but there is a world of difference between not making as much as you conceivably could on a game and losing money to an underperforming title.
Novus on
I'm not smart, but thanks to the internet I can pretend.
wii Number 0648 2052 0203 3154
I'm suggesting that if you have 25 preorders, maybe you should order a number somewhat above 25, you fucks
I don't remember the last time that our store only got a shipment for preorders only, ignoring Limited Editions. Even on the most niche RPG, if we preorder 1 copy, we generally get 2 or 3 copies.
These threads are always amusing, because they always fill up with people saying "duh, they're a business, they're out to make money!" No shit. We all know that EBStop is out to make money. That doesn't mean that people won't get angry at the way they choose to make money.
When someone expresses frustration about the preorder system, or the horrible used prices, or gutting, or whatever, telling them that it's part of the business model is neither comforting nor illuminating. The complacency that sets in when people set out to defend gamestop is astounding.
Does it need defending when it is largely succesful (and not illegal)?
I think some of you missed this, so I'll reiterate:
Copies of Bioshock arrived in stores some time last week.
The street date was Tuesday, and stores were able to keep pre-ordering up until that point, provided they had product to cover it.
Hence, stores' allocations were based on the number of pre-orders that had been made before a certain point sometime last week or earlier, not based on the number Monday, which was no doubt higher, as hype around the game only grew as the release approached, and more people pre-ordered the game after stock was already in.
As for their business model, yeah, I get what they're doing, but I hate it. It's especially stupid in places like New York City, where if store A doesn't have what I want, there are 25 others within a mile radius that do. Basically, I resent the attempted manipulation. Basically I don't have any interest in being arbitrarily locked into buying a game from a certain store. I'd preorder back in the day, when they gave you little bonus things for doing so - posters and watches with the Zelda logo on them and whatnot - but now it's more like extortion - swear to us you will buy this game on release day or you won't have the option.
And god, don't get me started on used game sales - personally I think it's worse than piracy. Vive le online distribution.
These threads are always amusing, because they always fill up with people saying "duh, they're a business, they're out to make money!" No shit. We all know that EBStop is out to make money. That doesn't mean that people won't get angry at the way they choose to make money.
When someone expresses frustration about the preorder system, or the horrible used prices, or gutting, or whatever, telling them that it's part of the business model is neither comforting nor illuminating. The complacency that sets in when people set out to defend gamestop is astounding.
No, what is astounding is the people who bitch about it, but shop their anyway.
Gamestop's business model has always suited my needs. I pre-order the game I know I'm going to want, and I keep track of their sales so that I know the best times to buy things. I have always gotten one of their warranties on any system I buy because it means I can basically swap it out for free if I break it somehow, or even if there is just a new color out that I want more somewhere down the line. Etcetera.
You are free to state you don't like them, just as I am free to state I do. Neither of us are idiots for having our differing opinions.
These threads are always amusing, because they always fill up with people saying "duh, they're a business, they're out to make money!" No shit. We all know that EBStop is out to make money. That doesn't mean that people won't get angry at the way they choose to make money.
When someone expresses frustration about the preorder system, or the horrible used prices, or gutting, or whatever, telling them that it's part of the business model is neither comforting nor illuminating. The complacency that sets in when people set out to defend gamestop is astounding.
Some people are making ridiculous demands though that may be in their best interest, but it would destroy the business model for the company. So they have to meet in the middle somewhere. Where profit and customer service intersect. A company can't subside on good customer service alone. Some people don't seem to understand this.
This forum a small subsect of hardcore gamers, which is an even smaller sect of the gaming population. 99% of the people in the world either don't have a problem with preordering or care when we sell out of a game.
Does it need defending when it is largely succesful (and not illegal)?
Legality does not mean morality.
Anyhow, I don't usually shop at gamestop, but I went by yesterday with one of my buddies and saw some copies of Bioshock that weren't preorder only. So I'm guessing its just your store.
These threads are always amusing, because they always fill up with people saying "duh, they're a business, they're out to make money!" No shit. We all know that EBStop is out to make money. That doesn't mean that people won't get angry at the way they choose to make money.
When someone expresses frustration about the preorder system, or the horrible used prices, or gutting, or whatever, telling them that it's part of the business model is neither comforting nor illuminating. The complacency that sets in when people set out to defend gamestop is astounding.
It's called an opinion; that's what these boards are about. If I was complacent I wouldn't be writing at all and when I do have a serious problem I will bring it up. "Boo-hoo I didn't bother to pre-order the game I really wanted to play and now I can't get it and it's all -fill in the blank-'s fault" is just silly.
Novus on
I'm not smart, but thanks to the internet I can pretend.
wii Number 0648 2052 0203 3154
They offer you a service that may or may not be beneficial to you.
If it isn't, don't use it.
It's as simple as that. There is no personal attack. They will not shoot your dog if you do ot pre-order, nor will they rape your sister if you don't trade games in.
If they are sold out, but the store next door has the product, then I would advise going next door. It is an extremely simple solution.
Does it need defending when it is largely succesful (and not illegal)?
Legality does not mean morality.
Anyhow, I don't usually shop at gamestop, but I went by yesterday with one of my buddies and saw some copies of Bioshock that weren't preorder only. So I'm guessing its just your store.
Pretty much the entire company got restocked yesterday and today. So you know, we got more than just preorders. You wouldn't think so if you talked to some of the people in this thread. It just so happens our OP happened to go to a store when they were sold out. Now he's all bent out of shape.
Gamestop purposefully only gets enough games to fill pre-orders that way they can lock you into their retarded pre-order system where they take $5 from thousands of people and put that money into high-interest accounts to get a little bonus profit.
Do you know how crazy you sound?
Honestly, that would be an absolutely horrible business model.
Right, but when I went into another just Wednesday to Circuit City, they had 4 stacks of Bioshock on the back counter. About 10 copies for the PC. 3 last copies of 360 version. 2 PC reserves, and 2 360 Reserves.
The reserved were the CE IIRC. There is no reason that Game Stop cannot do this, but Circuit City can. The reason is that EBStop want gamers to get into the buying experience. They want them to preorder their favorite games months in advance, they want you to trade in games and buy their Gamestop card so that you can buy even more games while trading in your own. Circuit City has it set up so that, "Hey you, you buy a lot of games, give us some money and you get 10% off anything game related. If not, then yeah, enjoy the games we have sitting on the shelf because we sure do get a lot of them and don't make fake "Supply shortages."
Does it need defending when it is largely succesful (and not illegal)?
Legality does not mean morality.
Anyhow, I don't usually shop at gamestop, but I went by yesterday with one of my buddies and saw some copies of Bioshock that weren't preorder only. So I'm guessing its just your store.
Gamestop purposefully only gets enough games to fill pre-orders that way they can lock you into their retarded pre-order system where they take $5 from thousands of people and put that money into high-interest accounts to get a little bonus profit.
Do you know how crazy you sound?
Honestly, that would be an absolutely horrible business model.
The REAL reason is to rope you into paying full price instead of shopping the lowest competitor at launch AND to enforce their preorder business model. They want to enforce it for the reasons already mentioned (used game market, no $5 games clearances like the electronics stores, etc).
About 99% of the time, no one runs sales on new released games. The most recent one I can remember is Best Buy's Guitar Hero 80's edition. And the one before that? Circuit City had Madden 07(last year's madden) on sale the day it came out. Wow, two... in a year.
There was a game clearance this past summer. I will say that I thought the prices were still a little high. But it was a clearence. And used games are where they make a profit. Is that a bad thing?
Are you crazy? Buy a Sunday paper when the game you want is released. DO IT.
Throughout this entire generation, this has almost always been the case: On launch week, ONE retailer usually tries to steal the pent-up pressure/demand by advertising a new game for $5 to $10 less than the competitors OR throwing in a bonus for buying it there. All I could think of when reading people in this thread say that they got theirs at Toys R Us or that preordering was a free service except for the opportunity cost was "but they still paid $over $10 too much!" Circuit City had BioShock for $49.99 (360) and $39.99 (PC). Using some creative pricmatching and promotions, I got it for essentially $34.66 + Reward Zone. When it doesn't happen on launch week, it still usually happens on the following week. Best Buy did it on launch week or the following week for nearly every GBA game and many DS games. Circuit City always does this with PC games (remember SiN and then HL2:EP1 for $9.99, less after 110% PM?). I remember being called a liar when I came in these forums and told everyone that Beyond Good and Evil would be $10 at Circuit City some time back when it was still a new game. I had to scan the circuilar and circle it. I saw the GH:80's thing and YAWNED because it is exactly what I see there week after week after week. For years now until the Gamer's Gift Card disappeared earlier this year, I spent every release month waiting for the obligatory $5 or $10 weekly special discount at Best Buy so I could get whatever it was for $10-15 less than MSRP, so I can certainly attest to how common this is.
Most Gamecube $50 games were under $40 at at least one retailer during launch week. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes launched for $37.77 at Target and they did that whole $37.77 thing for nearly every major title that year.
I keep up. I buy the latest games. I just refuse to buy games for full price when I know that, worst case scenario, it'll still be there when the enevitable pricedrop hits. So far, the worst case scenario hits me hardest on the PS3: I've owned mine since january 5th and have 23 BD discs and not a singe game. NONE were worth the price I could get them for when I have yet to finish my PS2 backlog. By the time I do, I expect $20-$30 to be the norm for the ones I want now (and I'll get them for less). Heck, even Enchanted Arms for $14 isn't worth it according to you guys, regardless of my cheapskate opinion (I asked)!
Edit: Look at this past week. There was Brain Age 2 ($14.99), House season 3 ($10 off), BioShock $10 off (both platforms), etc. This happens every God-damned launch.
Guess what though, JRPGs don't sell well. Persona 3 we only got like 8 copies of and 4 of them were preordered. We've only sold ONE of the extra copies so far.
Maybe if EB/Gamestop marketed them as agressively as they do halo three and actually ask if they want to pre-order "insert JRPG here" in every game purchase like they did/do like, oh I don't know Bioshock, Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4 then maybe it will sell well enough.
No. Just no.
JRPG = niche market.
Halo 3, GTA, Madden = nearly goddamn everybody.
Edit: beaten.
I could argue that Final Fantasy is not in the niche market and almost everybody has heard about it. But I won't. Suffice it to say that there should be more posters or instore advertising than there is currently.
You may not like Gamestop's policies, but they are transparent in what they do. They tell you that they gut games. They are extremely open when it comes to the margins between what they buy and sell used games for. They tell you upfront that they get copies of new games often in ways that closely match pre-order demand.
If the business model works for them, and they are transparent in their actions, I do not see how they are being immoral.
Guess what though, JRPGs don't sell well. Persona 3 we only got like 8 copies of and 4 of them were preordered. We've only sold ONE of the extra copies so far.
Maybe if EB/Gamestop marketed them as agressively as they do halo three and actually ask if they want to pre-order "insert JRPG here" in every game purchase like they did/do like, oh I don't know Bioshock, Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4 then maybe it will sell well enough.
No. Just no.
JRPG = niche market.
Halo 3, GTA, Madden = nearly goddamn everybody.
Edit: beaten.
I could argue that Final Fantasy is not in the niche market and almost everybody has heard about it. But I won't. Suffice it to say that there should be more posters or instore advertising than there is currently.
Final Fantasy also gets pushed hard, and plenty of pre-orders.
Man, the EB I go to is pretty awesome. You people have faulty videogame stores.
They can't just snap their fingers and press eleventy billion copies of a game, you know. If a game is going to be popular, I like having the option of ensuring that I recieve it on release day, as opposed to trying to find it on shelves. Plus, preorder bonuses can be nifty. I don't see the hate against pre-ordering at all, really. If you don't do it, sure it can be annoying, but why aren't you doing it? From what I understand, the specialty stores don't receive shipments as large as the big giants, so the pre-order system is pretty much the best way they can handle it, when it comes to a highly popular game.
I suppose it also comes from the people at the store I visit actually being knowledgable about videogames, and my visiting there frequently enough that I don't deal with any of the usual 'preorder this, subscribe to this magazine' stuff. They know that I know that they know that I know what's going on.
Gamestop purposefully only gets enough games to fill pre-orders that way they can lock you into their retarded pre-order system where they take $5 from thousands of people and put that money into high-interest accounts to get a little bonus profit.
Do you know how crazy you sound?
Honestly, that would be an absolutely horrible business model.
Guess what though, JRPGs don't sell well. Persona 3 we only got like 8 copies of and 4 of them were preordered. We've only sold ONE of the extra copies so far.
Maybe if EB/Gamestop marketed them as agressively as they do halo three and actually ask if they want to pre-order "insert JRPG here" in every game purchase like they did/do like, oh I don't know Bioshock, Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4 then maybe it will sell well enough.
No. Just no.
JRPG = niche market.
Halo 3, GTA, Madden = nearly goddamn everybody.
Edit: beaten.
I could argue that Final Fantasy is not in the niche market and almost everybody has heard about it. But I won't. Suffice it to say that there should be more posters or instore advertising than there is currently.
Marketing space costs money. Every poster, standee, and sign is paid for by a vendor. If you didn't see any Persona 3 posters, it's because Atlus didn't buy the space.
There is no reason that Game Stop cannot do this, but Circuit City can.
Actually, Circuit City stores generally have some kind of warehousing facilities on premises.
Gamestop stores do not.
This is a BIG difference when it comes to inventory quantities.
Additionally, Circuit City does not make their profit off of games, they make it off of the other things you buy when you buy games. This ALSO makes a big difference.
Right, but when I went into another just Wednesday to Circuit City, they had 4 stacks of Bioshock on the back counter. About 10 copies for the PC. 3 last copies of 360 version. 2 PC reserves, and 2 360 Reserves.
The reserved were the CE IIRC. There is no reason that Game Stop cannot do this, but Circuit City can."
Umm yes there is. All the Big Box retailers, like circuit city work on a Loss Leader business plan. They make zero profit off of games. They can order a ton because they are not concerned with making a profit on the sales. They are more concerned with getting you in the store to buy ANYTHING that isn't media(CD's, games, DVDs) because all that stuff is sold at a HUGE markup.
Unless gamestop started selling HDTV's since last night, there is a very good reason why circuit city and gamestop operate on different business plans.
Also Circuit City gets A LOT more foot traffic than Gamestop, which means more impulse buying. Not many people come into gamestop to impulse buy, especially new games.
Different business models, different product, different customer base. There are three reasons why gamestop can't do what Circuit City does.
Gamestop purposefully only gets enough games to fill pre-orders that way they can lock you into their retarded pre-order system where they take $5 from thousands of people and put that money into high-interest accounts to get a little bonus profit.
Do you know how crazy you sound?
Honestly, that would be an absolutely horrible business model.
Guess what though, JRPGs don't sell well. Persona 3 we only got like 8 copies of and 4 of them were preordered. We've only sold ONE of the extra copies so far.
Maybe if EB/Gamestop marketed them as agressively as they do halo three and actually ask if they want to pre-order "insert JRPG here" in every game purchase like they did/do like, oh I don't know Bioshock, Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4 then maybe it will sell well enough.
No. Just no.
JRPG = niche market.
Halo 3, GTA, Madden = nearly goddamn everybody.
Edit: beaten.
I could argue that Final Fantasy is not in the niche market and almost everybody has heard about it. But I won't. Suffice it to say that there should be more posters or instore advertising than there is currently.
Marketing space costs money. Every poster, standee, and sign is paid for by a vendor. If you didn't see any Persona 3 posters, it's because Atlus didn't buy the space.
Gamestop purposefully only gets enough games to fill pre-orders that way they can lock you into their retarded pre-order system where they take $5 from thousands of people and put that money into high-interest accounts to get a little bonus profit.
Do you know how crazy you sound?
Honestly, that would be an absolutely horrible business model.
and it works
Except, no.
Because it ISN'T their business model.
The used games are. THAT is what works.
you mean stolen
sorry, I didn't realize that you had been lobotomized.
Gamestop purposefully only gets enough games to fill pre-orders that way they can lock you into their retarded pre-order system where they take $5 from thousands of people and put that money into high-interest accounts to get a little bonus profit.
Do you know how crazy you sound?
Honestly, that would be an absolutely horrible business model.
and it works
Except, no.
Because it ISN'T their business model.
The used games are. THAT is what works.
you mean stolen
I'd say at my store, 1 or 2 percent of stock was actually stolen. You can usually tell and if it's REALLY obvious, we turn them away. We coordinate with nearby stores to keep on eye on suspicious trade ins. We have a do not trade list.
I remember how my preordered copy of Katamari Damacy came in two weeks after the release date
In the meantime I had bought a copy at Best Buy
yeah, this happens sometimes. it is unfortunate, but mistakes do occur.
your pre-order deposit is ENTIRELY refundable, though.
so when this happens, what exactly have you lost?
Time.
And since as far as I'm concerned, the only time to preorder is when it's an obscure game that they wouldn't otherwise even order, it's extremely irritating when they don't deliver.
Although I should note that this was at GameCrazy.
I remember how my preordered copy of Katamari Damacy came in two weeks after the release date
In the meantime I had bought a copy at Best Buy
yeah, this happens sometimes. it is unfortunate, but mistakes do occur.
your pre-order deposit is ENTIRELY refundable, though.
so when this happens, what exactly have you lost?
Time.
Alright, well, if you are risk adverse to the point where the potential value of time lost in the rare instance of an issue is not worthwhile for you in comparison to the value of having a game guaranteed, then pre-ordering is a bad idea for you.
Posts
Heh
I remember how my preordered copy of Katamari Damacy came in two weeks after the release date
In the meantime I had bought a copy at Best Buy
First off, probably not. Not everyone is a cosplaying larper with a furry tattoo.
Secondly, it's not GS's place to market the games; it's the publishers. Gamestop gets behind the games that you mentioned because they are ALREADY guaranteed to sell. It would be stupid not to maximize profit in an area where revenue is already guaranteed.
No. Just no.
JRPG = niche market.
Halo 3, GTA, Madden = nearly goddamn everybody.
Edit: beaten.
About 99% of the time, no one runs sales on new released games. The most recent one I can remember is Best Buy's Guitar Hero 80's edition. And the one before that? Circuit City had Madden 07(last year's madden) on sale the day it came out. Wow, two... in a year.
There was a game clearance this past summer. I will say that I thought the prices were still a little high. But it was a clearence. And used games are where they make a profit. Is that a bad thing?
yeah, this happens sometimes. it is unfortunate, but mistakes do occur.
your pre-order deposit is ENTIRELY refundable, though.
so when this happens, what exactly have you lost?
When someone expresses frustration about the preorder system, or the horrible used prices, or gutting, or whatever, telling them that it's part of the business model is neither comforting nor illuminating. The complacency that sets in when people set out to defend gamestop is astounding.
Getting rid of overstock sucks; you say they should go above the pre-orders and they do, but always by a safe amount they can be absolutely certain will sell. Sometimes they won't make as much money as they could; that's still not nearly as bad as spending money on something that's going to take up valuable space or having to ship it. I'm sorry but there is a world of difference between not making as much as you conceivably could on a game and losing money to an underperforming title.
wii Number 0648 2052 0203 3154
I don't remember the last time that our store only got a shipment for preorders only, ignoring Limited Editions. Even on the most niche RPG, if we preorder 1 copy, we generally get 2 or 3 copies.
Respect for the company? Time? Patience? The desire to shop at EBStop?
Does it need defending when it is largely succesful (and not illegal)?
Oh! Because it has "Game" right in the name! So it must be the very best place to get your games. EBGAMES. GAMEstop. Yep, all game places.
Circuit City gave me better service than Gamestop ever has.
Copies of Bioshock arrived in stores some time last week.
The street date was Tuesday, and stores were able to keep pre-ordering up until that point, provided they had product to cover it.
Hence, stores' allocations were based on the number of pre-orders that had been made before a certain point sometime last week or earlier, not based on the number Monday, which was no doubt higher, as hype around the game only grew as the release approached, and more people pre-ordered the game after stock was already in.
And god, don't get me started on used game sales - personally I think it's worse than piracy. Vive le online distribution.
No, what is astounding is the people who bitch about it, but shop their anyway.
Gamestop's business model has always suited my needs. I pre-order the game I know I'm going to want, and I keep track of their sales so that I know the best times to buy things. I have always gotten one of their warranties on any system I buy because it means I can basically swap it out for free if I break it somehow, or even if there is just a new color out that I want more somewhere down the line. Etcetera.
You are free to state you don't like them, just as I am free to state I do. Neither of us are idiots for having our differing opinions.
Some people are making ridiculous demands though that may be in their best interest, but it would destroy the business model for the company. So they have to meet in the middle somewhere. Where profit and customer service intersect. A company can't subside on good customer service alone. Some people don't seem to understand this.
This forum a small subsect of hardcore gamers, which is an even smaller sect of the gaming population. 99% of the people in the world either don't have a problem with preordering or care when we sell out of a game.
Legality does not mean morality.
Anyhow, I don't usually shop at gamestop, but I went by yesterday with one of my buddies and saw some copies of Bioshock that weren't preorder only. So I'm guessing its just your store.
It's called an opinion; that's what these boards are about. If I was complacent I wouldn't be writing at all and when I do have a serious problem I will bring it up. "Boo-hoo I didn't bother to pre-order the game I really wanted to play and now I can't get it and it's all -fill in the blank-'s fault" is just silly.
wii Number 0648 2052 0203 3154
There really isn't any manipulation.
They offer you a service that may or may not be beneficial to you.
If it isn't, don't use it.
It's as simple as that. There is no personal attack. They will not shoot your dog if you do ot pre-order, nor will they rape your sister if you don't trade games in.
If they are sold out, but the store next door has the product, then I would advise going next door. It is an extremely simple solution.
Pretty much the entire company got restocked yesterday and today. So you know, we got more than just preorders. You wouldn't think so if you talked to some of the people in this thread. It just so happens our OP happened to go to a store when they were sold out. Now he's all bent out of shape.
and it works
The reserved were the CE IIRC. There is no reason that Game Stop cannot do this, but Circuit City can. The reason is that EBStop want gamers to get into the buying experience. They want them to preorder their favorite games months in advance, they want you to trade in games and buy their Gamestop card so that you can buy even more games while trading in your own. Circuit City has it set up so that, "Hey you, you buy a lot of games, give us some money and you get 10% off anything game related. If not, then yeah, enjoy the games we have sitting on the shelf because we sure do get a lot of them and don't make fake "Supply shortages."
No gods, no kings, only preorders.
Are you crazy? Buy a Sunday paper when the game you want is released. DO IT.
Throughout this entire generation, this has almost always been the case: On launch week, ONE retailer usually tries to steal the pent-up pressure/demand by advertising a new game for $5 to $10 less than the competitors OR throwing in a bonus for buying it there. All I could think of when reading people in this thread say that they got theirs at Toys R Us or that preordering was a free service except for the opportunity cost was "but they still paid $over $10 too much!" Circuit City had BioShock for $49.99 (360) and $39.99 (PC). Using some creative pricmatching and promotions, I got it for essentially $34.66 + Reward Zone. When it doesn't happen on launch week, it still usually happens on the following week. Best Buy did it on launch week or the following week for nearly every GBA game and many DS games. Circuit City always does this with PC games (remember SiN and then HL2:EP1 for $9.99, less after 110% PM?). I remember being called a liar when I came in these forums and told everyone that Beyond Good and Evil would be $10 at Circuit City some time back when it was still a new game. I had to scan the circuilar and circle it. I saw the GH:80's thing and YAWNED because it is exactly what I see there week after week after week. For years now until the Gamer's Gift Card disappeared earlier this year, I spent every release month waiting for the obligatory $5 or $10 weekly special discount at Best Buy so I could get whatever it was for $10-15 less than MSRP, so I can certainly attest to how common this is.
Most Gamecube $50 games were under $40 at at least one retailer during launch week. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes launched for $37.77 at Target and they did that whole $37.77 thing for nearly every major title that year.
I keep up. I buy the latest games. I just refuse to buy games for full price when I know that, worst case scenario, it'll still be there when the enevitable pricedrop hits. So far, the worst case scenario hits me hardest on the PS3: I've owned mine since january 5th and have 23 BD discs and not a singe game. NONE were worth the price I could get them for when I have yet to finish my PS2 backlog. By the time I do, I expect $20-$30 to be the norm for the ones I want now (and I'll get them for less). Heck, even Enchanted Arms for $14 isn't worth it according to you guys, regardless of my cheapskate opinion (I asked)!
Edit: Look at this past week. There was Brain Age 2 ($14.99), House season 3 ($10 off), BioShock $10 off (both platforms), etc. This happens every God-damned launch.
I could argue that Final Fantasy is not in the niche market and almost everybody has heard about it. But I won't. Suffice it to say that there should be more posters or instore advertising than there is currently.
And morality does not mean convenience.
You may not like Gamestop's policies, but they are transparent in what they do. They tell you that they gut games. They are extremely open when it comes to the margins between what they buy and sell used games for. They tell you upfront that they get copies of new games often in ways that closely match pre-order demand.
If the business model works for them, and they are transparent in their actions, I do not see how they are being immoral.
Final Fantasy also gets pushed hard, and plenty of pre-orders.
So, what exactly is your point?
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
They can't just snap their fingers and press eleventy billion copies of a game, you know. If a game is going to be popular, I like having the option of ensuring that I recieve it on release day, as opposed to trying to find it on shelves. Plus, preorder bonuses can be nifty. I don't see the hate against pre-ordering at all, really. If you don't do it, sure it can be annoying, but why aren't you doing it? From what I understand, the specialty stores don't receive shipments as large as the big giants, so the pre-order system is pretty much the best way they can handle it, when it comes to a highly popular game.
I suppose it also comes from the people at the store I visit actually being knowledgable about videogames, and my visiting there frequently enough that I don't deal with any of the usual 'preorder this, subscribe to this magazine' stuff. They know that I know that they know that I know what's going on.
Except, no.
Because it ISN'T their business model.
The used games are. THAT is what works.
Marketing space costs money. Every poster, standee, and sign is paid for by a vendor. If you didn't see any Persona 3 posters, it's because Atlus didn't buy the space.
There is no conspiracy. They sell what sells.
Actually, Circuit City stores generally have some kind of warehousing facilities on premises.
Gamestop stores do not.
This is a BIG difference when it comes to inventory quantities.
Additionally, Circuit City does not make their profit off of games, they make it off of the other things you buy when you buy games. This ALSO makes a big difference.
Umm yes there is. All the Big Box retailers, like circuit city work on a Loss Leader business plan. They make zero profit off of games. They can order a ton because they are not concerned with making a profit on the sales. They are more concerned with getting you in the store to buy ANYTHING that isn't media(CD's, games, DVDs) because all that stuff is sold at a HUGE markup.
Unless gamestop started selling HDTV's since last night, there is a very good reason why circuit city and gamestop operate on different business plans.
Also Circuit City gets A LOT more foot traffic than Gamestop, which means more impulse buying. Not many people come into gamestop to impulse buy, especially new games.
Different business models, different product, different customer base. There are three reasons why gamestop can't do what Circuit City does.
you mean stolen
And we even had posters for Persona 3!
sorry, I didn't realize that you had been lobotomized.
I can go slowly for you, if you like.
I'd say at my store, 1 or 2 percent of stock was actually stolen. You can usually tell and if it's REALLY obvious, we turn them away. We coordinate with nearby stores to keep on eye on suspicious trade ins. We have a do not trade list.
Edit: Evander's response is also good.
Time.
And since as far as I'm concerned, the only time to preorder is when it's an obscure game that they wouldn't otherwise even order, it's extremely irritating when they don't deliver.
Although I should note that this was at GameCrazy.
Alright, well, if you are risk adverse to the point where the potential value of time lost in the rare instance of an issue is not worthwhile for you in comparison to the value of having a game guaranteed, then pre-ordering is a bad idea for you.
THere's always Amazon.com, Bestbuy, Walmart, etc.